Ice Mistress
by Princessdaisyroxs
Summary: A sacred girl with a dark secret. Her life energy encased in a single jewel... The last stands alone. [Slight angst towards the end][Some humor]
1. Fallen

**Disclaimer: _I don't own Fire Emblem! _**

_Note: Ninian is 100 percent human in this fanfic._

_**Ice Mistress**_

In the thick fog, a lone figure solemnly walked away from the ruins of her once powerful manor-now only giant mounds of chipped rocks and reddish powder. Wiping her tears and turning her head back to glance at her childhood shelter for the last time, the girl continued to stride in the direction of a thick, emerald green forest. Soon she disappeared behind the dense mist and into the dangerous woodland.

As the girl nervously entered the woods, the trees grew more substantial until it got to the point where you couldn't see anything beyond the vegetation. As blind as a bat, she tried to feel her way through the forest and ended up in an unusual clearing. Right in the middle of the clearing was an abandoned, miniature cottage that seemed like it had been sitting around for centuries. The girl peeked into one of the dust-covered broken windows and found somewhat a shock. There, right in front of her pretty face was a bloody corpse hanging from the unstable ceiling. Although frightened, she uneasily made her way inside the cottage in search of some warm clothing. When she was halfway across the living room, she heard a creaking noise followed by eerie moaning. The girl paused for a second, listening to the source of the sound, and then decided to follow it. Heading upstairs she thought she heard mournful singing but tried hard to ignore it. Finally, out of curiosity, the girl dared not to make a peep and took note of the lyrics. The despondency pervaded into her heart, reminding her of her own tragedy. Almost in tears, she dashed out of the deserted cottage and back into the woods.

Suddenly, there was a rustling sound followed by dead silence. She cautiously took two tiny steps forward before a dark shadow stepped in front of her.

"Greetings, the last guardian of Ilia." The shadowy frame said in a creepy voice.

"Who are you!" the girl demanded.

"I am Nergal, the almighty ruler of the errrr…Dark Realm. Come with me and you shall have all the energy and supremacy in the world!" "_Damn! I really need to think up a new name for my kingdom!_"

"Nergal! You are an evil man! You are the one who destroyed all seven guardians! I will _never _come with you! _NEVER!_"

The wicked man growled threatening manner before raising an eyebrow and saying, "Such disrespectfulness! However I should have known you wouldn't join me," he paused and coldly spat, "_Ice Mistress_ or should I say _Ninian._" The girl gasped and began to run as fast as she could with her long black dollie dress.

"Not so fast, guardian!" Nergal shouted and pointed a deadly finger at the retreating figure of Ninian. "I will be keeping a watchful eye on you and make sure that my genius plans will be carried out correctly."

From the tip of his wrinkled finger, the dark druid cast a spell that created a smoky atmosphere. When the clouds of darkness cleared up, the mistress once dressed in a dollie outfit now wore an ebony, lacy, black skirt and a strange shirt. The shirt was rather fancy but in a deadly way. It had a dark velvet band tied around her neck as if it was choking her and white lace that barely came up to her shoulders, leaving them bare. Just like her dollie apparel, the blouse had elegant French-style sleeves. Although her clothing was already stunning, the most appealing piece of her wardrobe was a glittering azure sapphire that was attached to a silver band of metal. The jewelry looked most uncomfortable.

"W-What did you do to me!" Ninian screamed.

"Oh…nothing much, really." Nergal smiled malevolently. "I just made a few…adjustments."

"What did you do to me!" the ice mistress repeated.

"Very well then, I'll explain. This is the attire you wear when you feel you are in danger and you automatically transform. Everytime you do so, I will be able to track your location, thus you cannot escape from me! Also, that beautiful jewel necklace is quite lethal. You see guardian, that sapphire's color is your life meter! Once it gets dull and all the vivid blue fades from it, you will perish! However there is one catch to that jewel, on how its color fades the quickest, but you will find out soon enough."

"Tell me!" Ninian insisted.

"Be gone with you! I will take you back when my plot is complete."

Unexpectedly a cold gust of wind blew through the forest and everything went white…for a while.

* * *

_Sorry the first chapter was so short!  
_


	2. A New Land

When Ninian could see again, she found herself in an unfamiliar place. She looked around blearily and realized that she was no longer in the middle of the forest. In fact, she wasn't even in Ilia anymore! There were busy markets set up in town and merchants were selling their goods to folks who walked past their stalls. Colorful horses trotted after their owners with a load of merchandise tightly strapped on their backs.

"_Where am I?_" she asked herself.

No sooner did she inquire that question, a cluster of horses came galloping towards her.

"Move over woman!" a harsh voice yelled.

"_Why such rudeness! I could blast those idiots into frozen chunks of ice if I wanted to!_"

"Now, now Marcus! You know better than to talk to innocent citizens like that! After all, you were one of the people who taught me manners, am I correct?" another voice said.

Ninian hazily sat up and rubbed her tired, crimson eyes.

Her eyes snapped open when she heard the same gentle voice say, "I'm terribly sorry about what happened, but lying in the center of a busy road is quite dangerous."

"Huh…where am I? What road? I was in a forest!" Ninian slowly said, her eyelids drooping again.

Right before her eyes closed completely, she spotted the color blue, a dazzling shade of blue. What shade was it? Cerulean? Azure? Whatever it was, it was so intense…

"Ah! I'm so sorry!" the guardian apologized immediately.

"That's alright. Miss, are you lost or injured?" the man in front of her inquired with an expression of concern.

"Lost-yes, injured-no. Where am I and who are you?"

"Why you are in Pherae of course!" the man explained with a warm smile on his face.

Before he could answer her second question, Marcus, the rude rider on horseback, interjected, "You seriously do not know who you are looking at? Bow down peasant, for this is Lord Eliwood, the marquess' only son and the heir to the throne!"

"Marcus! Stop making me sound so grand!" the noble named Eliwood scolded.

"But my lord, you are grand or at least to your people you are! It's about time you get married, and every woman from Pherae comes to your door each morning! You are served the finest of the foods and yet your mother thinks that it is still not the best for her only son. All your people favor you and you _still _think you aren't good enough!" Marcus lectured him.

"M-Marcus…stop embarrassing me!" Lord Eliwood exclaimed.

"Well!" Ninian interrupted. "I think it's time for me to get out of here!"

As she got up and dusted herself a little, Eliwood offered her a room in the castle for one night.

"But my lord! You can't go picking some random peasant off the streets and inviting them to stay in your palace! What would your mother and father say?" Marcus sputtered.

"I think they will be delighted." Eliwood simply stated. "The citizens of Pherae serve them loyally and in return, my parents will do almost anything to protect them."

The purple-haired paladin sighed and climbed onto his steed while watching his lord help the stranger girl onto a white stallion. Once Eliwood was on the horse, she fastened her slender arms around his waist and watched him grasp the brown leather reins of his steed.

"Lord Elbert and Lady Eleanora will not be happy." Marcus kept persisting annoyingly, however Eliwood ignored him. "Okay, everyone to the castle! We have been delayed for much too long!"

As the small group of loyal Pheraen knights rode swiftly towards the castle gates, Ninian felt a sudden burst of energy. Little did she know that the sapphire was glowing…


	3. Further Investigation

**Disclaimer: I do not own Fire Emblem!**

When they finally reached the castle gates, Pheraen sentries bowed down respectfully as they welcomed their lord home. Towards the upper half of the palace, an elegant, worried figure peered out from behind curtain-covered windows. As soon as she saw the group of knights, she picked up her dresses and rushed down the three flights of stairs. Just as she reached the first floor, the majestic double doors burst open, revealing the woman's son and Marcus.

"Mother!" Eliwood shouted, with tears just about to fall from joy.

"E-Eliwood? Is that really you?" Lady Eleanora exclaimed with tears already streaming down her cheeks. "I-It's been too long!"

Mother and son ran to hug each other after not seeing each other for five entire years.

"Mother, where is Father?"

"He is currently out of town."

"I have someone I need to introduce to you." Eliwood explained.

"Oh?"

The red haired lord briskly walked out the doors, and when he returned, Ninian was by his side.

"Will you grant permission for our guest to stay here tonight?"

"Why Eliwood! Is this-"

"Um…actually what is your name anyways?"

"Ninian."

"_**Mistress **Ninian…that is._"

"Of course you may stay, Ninian! It's been so long since I have had guests!"

Ninian saw Eliwood shoot an "I told you" glance at Marcus before turning back to face his mother again.

"You never told me that you finally found-" Lady Eleanora started to say.

"No, this isn't her." Eliwood insisted.

His mother looked quite disappointed when he said the last sentence.

"But when are you going to find her?" she blurted out.

"…Someday." Came her son's reply.

That evening…

The Ice Mistress stood on one of the castle balconies, staring at the pink and orange sunset. For a few seconds, all the painful memories of the past vanished and in its place was nothing but happiness. Her thoughts were interrupted when a voice called to her.

"Um, Ninian? Is something the matter?"

She turned around to find Lord Eliwood just stepping onto the veranda.

"Oh, my lord, of course not!"

"You seem…distracted." He observed.

"No really, I'm fine."

"Hmmm…well we have just met and I don't know much about you yet, so tell me something about yourself."

"_What am I supposed to say? I cannot reveal my past!_"

"Uh, let's see…I used to live in Ilia." She explained carefully.

"In Ilia? Wow it must be cold living there! Where in Ilia?"

"_Actually, were was I living at? I think it was called something like 'The Sacred Circle' but I must not reveal that'!_"

"Erm, t-towards central Ilia." She nervously replied, hoping that her answer was reasonable enough.

"…Ah…I see." Eliwood responded. "Tell me, have you heard of the current conflict in the Sacred Circle?"

"S-Sacred Circle?" "_This guy just reads my mind!_"

"Yes, the Sacred Circle, home to all eight guardians of Ilia. I heard that forces of evil have invaded the circle and destroyed it. Almost all the guardians perished in the assault."

"Oh, that. I just hope that he doesn't come back…or else Elibe will be in great danger."

"True, but there is still hope."

"Hope? What hope is there? This time, Evil is too strong for us."

"You must not give up! Rumors say that one guardian survived, but the whereabouts of her are unknown."

"_Oh no! Please tell me that he doesn't recognize me!_"

Although she was panicking internally, Ninian tried to remain as calm as possible on the outside.

"Really?"

Eliwood nodded and continued, "Tomorrow, I would like to bring you to visit my friend Hector. We must discuss this situation."

"Hector? The marquess of Ostia's younger brother?"

"That's correct. Ostia should have much more information than Pherae due to their high number of spies."

"Have you ever seen the guardians of Ilia before?" she questioned suspiciously.

"…No but I have seen their portraits before. Only once though, and that was quite a while back so I don't really remember how they look like."

"_Whew! That was a close one! What if Lord Hector has seen them though?_"

"Lord Eliwood? What time do we depart tomorrow?"

"First thing in the morning. At exactly 8:00 a.m. sharp."

Just as decided, Lord Eliwood, Ninian, and the same group of knights set off for Ostia. Within hours, they reached Lord Uther and his younger brother's home.

"Hey Eliwood! Over here!" a voice hollered from over the castle walls.

"Hm? Hector is that you?" Eliwood shouted back.

"Yeah, yeah hurry up!"

Minutes later, Hector appeared wearing a collared, dark blue shirt.

"So you've finally decided not to wear your armor huh?" Eliwood exclaimed.

"Just look at this weather!" Hector pointed out. "Come on, there's much to do!"

Ninian followed the two men inside Manor Ostia and into a large room with thick, heavy curtains draped over a uniquely styled window.

"You redecorated your office?" Eliwood noticed.

"Yeah. I got bored of the same old designs."

"Well! One thing didn't change! It's still as messy as ever!"

Hector glared at his friend's remarks, and asked a servant to bring in some tea.

"Now about that issue…" Eliwood started to say.

"Yeah yesterday Leila brought back some important news about that." Hector explained.

"What did she say?"

"She said that citizens in Ilia think that the remaining guardian fled to somewhere in Lycia. Leila didn't say where, but just think Eliwood! The guardian may be in this very room!"

"_Yes, yes that's quite right! Too bad you aren't taking that thought seriously!_" Ninian thought.

Eliwood laughed and replied, "Hector, there's a very, very small chance that she's eavesdropping on us."

"What do you have to say about this? Does your little friend here know anything useful?"

Ninian hesitantly began to speak.

"Well, I-I have seen the sinful man once."

That seemed to perk up both lords.

"So what did he do?" Hector inquired.

"He uh...didn't see me."

"Then how did he look like?" Eliwood asked.

"He wore a huge blue turban over his head that covered one of his eyes, and had a matching cloak."

"_That isn't too much information is it?_"

"Do you know anything else?" Hector said.

_"Heh. I know like almost everything about this!_"

"Not much…but I do have a question for you."

"What is it?"

"…Have you seen the guardians before?"

"Yeah, tons of times."

Ninian nearly fainted.

"My brother goes to Ilia just about every year."

"For the Sacred Circle Festival?" Ninian asked hopefully.

"We go during that time…but for a different reason."

"What reason? You never told me that you left Ostia every year!" Eliwood interjected. "So that's why whenever I send a letter to you in the spring you never reply until summer!"

This time Hector laughed and began explaining.

"This is a family secret, and you better not tell Uther or else he will kill me!"

"Well what are you waiting for? I'm listening!" Eliwood exclaimed.

"My brother always thought that the Fire Guardian looked really hot." Hector whispered. "Get it? Hot?"

"Hector! That's the lamest joke I've ever heard of!"

"Nah, but seriously! He thought she looked pretty…"

"_Well, Elffie was rather strong. Perhaps one of the most powerful guardians._"

"So you went all the way over to Ilia just to see Elffie?" Ninian said.

The Ostian lord nodded and continued to talk to Eliwood. Suddenly he stopped chatting abruptly and turned his attention to Ninian.

"You know…" he started slowly. "Speaking about guardians and all that, you remind me of one of them."

Ninian felt her breath get caught in her throat.

"_Oh no…this can't be happening! No one is supposed to know about my true identity!_"

"W-Which one?" she said respectfully.

"The Ice Mistress." Hector stated. "It's a possibility that you are her, since rumors say she was the one that subsisted."

"Ah…well I don't think I know h-her too well." Ninian lied.

"Yeah, you're probably right. What are the chances?"

"So do you think we should contact Lyn about this?" Eliwood questioned.

"Certainly! She may know something that we don't know about. It's worth a shot."

"Okay, then tomorrow we must travel to Caelin." Eliwood instructed. "I'm sorry about all this traveling, Ninian."

"Oh that's all right. I'm kind of used to it anyways."

"Great. We need more supplies because the road to Caelin is relatively difficult." Eliwood explained. "Ninian, would you go with Hector to get some supplies?"

"Of course, my lord."

"_Oh but you can't stop me now! For I am Nergal, ruler of the Shadow Realm! But of course, you already knew that._ _By the way, do you like my kingdom's new name?_"

"_No._"

"_Argh! Fine! I'll go think of something even better! Until then…you will just have to bear with the current name!_"

"_Actually, I have the perfect name for your stupid kingdom…_"

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Note: I kinda decided that I'm going to keep Nergal a bit OCC so he can search for the perfect kingdom name!


	4. Off to Caelin

**Disclaimer: I don't own Fire Emblem, okay?**

Just when the two lords and the guardian arrived at the outskirts of Caelin, massive dark clouds rolled in and covered every speck of bright blue. The chilly winds picked up and trees swung wildly in every direction.

"Aw man! In a matter of two days, the weather changes completely!" Hector complained.

"Patience. Look on the bright side-we are almost there!"

"Bright side? There is no bright side! It's so gloomy and gray out here!"

Eliwood just rolled his eyes and directed his horse to move towards the faint outline of Castle Caelin.

"Eliwood! We are never going to make it in time!" Hector warned.

"He's right." Ninian agreed.

The young Pheraen lord looked across the vast meadows and realized that what his friends said was correct. Manor Caelin seemed so far away…

There was no shelter anywhere near them- only acres and acres of swaying green grass and occasionally a scrawny tree or two.

"Now what?"

Eliwood sighed. Talking about it wasn't going to get them anywhere. Better off just galloping as fast as they could to the nearest town. That's just what he did.

"Hey wait up!" Hector and Ninian hollered, as they began following his white stallion.

What they were not aware of was that someone was secretly watching their every move…

"All right boys, it's time for some action!" a bossy female voice snapped.

"Y-Yes Lady Limstella!" the men saluted.

"I want you to exterminate those wealthy Lycian nobles before they wander out of my sight again! Do I make myself clear?"

"Y-Yes Lady Limstella!" they repeated.

"Now go get them and do not fail me!"

"Have mercy on us if we are defeated!" the army begged.

"We will see about that…" the morph named Limstella said coldly and disappeared into thin air.

"Well boys! You heard her!" one particular male exclaimed.

"Yes captain!"

The group of mercenaries rushed out of their hiding spot and into the measureless pasture where they trampled on nature's beauty.

Suddenly one of the mercenaries called out, "There they are!"

All heads turned to see three people on horseback riding away towards one of Caelin's busiest town centers.

"After them!" the captain of their miniature army cried.

Quickly, the enemies rushed in the direction of the unaware Eliwood, Hector, and Ninian.

Meanwhile Ninian felt a strange surge of danger overcoming her body. There was a bright purple flash that caused both lords to turn around and that is when they noticed that she had changed outfits.

"Ninian? What's wrong?"

All of a sudden it hit her. What Nergal said four days ago was becoming reality.

"There's danger." She whispered. "I can feel it. It is very close to us…"

"Look out!" Hector yelled unexpectedly and rapidly drew his axe.

Eliwood reared his horse back in alert, and when he saw the army of soldiers, he withdrew his rapier.

"Ninian! Stay back!" Eliwood shouted.

"No! I can help you!" the guardian insisted.

Eliwood looked surprised, but he continued to fight off the enemies- stabbing them in their midsections or slicing off their heads.

"Very well then." He replied after a period of time when he finally had some space.

Ninian began muttering a few unusual words and a tiny spark of blue appeared between her hands for a few seconds, then faded away.

"_Hmmm…I haven't done this for a long time._" She mused.

Determined to help, the ice mistress tried again until finally she got it right. A larger sparkle of ice blue emerged, followed by a thin silver lining. When the magic grew to a certain size, Ninian stepped up and released it, freezing a nearby cavalier that was just about to hit her with his sharp lance. Then Hector charged up to the frozen knight and sliced his head off with his majestic Wolf Beil.

Ninian frowned and said, "Do you doubt my abilities?"

The Ostian lord grinned and answered, "Somewhat."

Meanwhile…

"Limstella? Back so soon?" Nergal asked suspiciously. "Did you do what I ordered you to do?"

"Of course, Master." The morph replied humbly.

"Excellent, my pet."

Just then the strange painting that hung on the wall behind Nergal started to shift. The colorful part of it began to swirl and within a few seconds, a new image faded in. Slowly, it showed an immense grassland with diminutive wild flowers sprouting in random places. Emaciated trees were planted in several spots, and one out-of-place shrub was shown. Dark gray clouds covered the cerulean skies, threatening the people in the distant marketplace. The bazaar had a stonewall surrounding it along with two enormous guard towers rising above it. Nergal's only functional eye examined the picture and noticed three small figures in the middle of the field. Then, as his vision was more focused, he saw others attacking the three outlines.

"So…that is where the meddling guardian is huh…" he observed. "I didn't expect that sapphire to actually work…"

"My lord, may I suggest something?" Limstella asked.

"Hmmm…normally I do the suggesting…but...okay…fine."

"Lord Eliwood, Lord Hector, and the guardian are heading towards Castle Caelin." The loyal morph stated.

"How can I be sure?"

Limstella explained that she had been hiding in Ostia's office room, listening to every word that the lords and Ninian were saying. She was hidden behind the navy blue curtains, and was almost spotted by the servant who brought in the tea.

"…Heading over to Caelin, they could retrieve more information about the missing guardian and the assault on the Sacred Circle."

"Sacred Circle? What Sacred Circle?" Nergal inquired with a confused expression on his face.

"The Sacred Circle is where you trashed the guardian's village. Ephidel and I helped you destroy it."

"Oh that place…I thought it was called 'The Sacred Garden'". Nergal admitted. "It sounds much lovelier doesn't it?"

"Of course, Master."

"I am not 'Master'! Not _just _'Master'! I am, Nergal the Supreme-Master Conqueror of the Sacred Garden! Erm…Sacred Circle!"

Limstella nodded and nothing else.

"Well? Are you going to call me by my full name or not?"

The female morph sighed and said, "Of course, Nergal the Supreme-Master Conqueror of the Sacred Garden! Erm…Sacred Circle!"

"Yay! I'm not the only one who makes mistakes!" Nergal shouted happily and danced around the room.

(Well you know why Limstella "made a mistake"...don't you?)

Unexpectedly, another morph mysteriously warped in the room, directly in front of Nergal.

"Ahhhh! A monster has come to get meeee!" Nergal screamed. "…Ephidel?"

"I sent the Black Fang members on the mission you asked for." Ephidel reported as he flipped back his hood.

"Good. According to Limstella, the others are attacking those bothersome Lycian nobles." Nergal said as he became serious again.

As Nergal started explaining his latest plans, back in the meadows a mini war just ended…

Eliwood, Hector, and Ninian had pretty much finished off the group of enemies hired by Limstella. Although the three remained victorious, some of them were badly injured. Hector was just about to hop onto his chestnut horse when the sound of metal cutting flesh was heard. The Ostian lord whirled around to come face to face with a spy/thief none other than Matthew.

"What are you doing here?" Hector shouted at the thief.

"Just doing my job." Matthew replied with a grin.

Hector looked down at Matthew's hands to see that he was holding a bloody sword and an elixir.

"You know, you would have probably died if it wasn't for me." Matthew continued.

"Yeah? What makes you think that?" Hector retorted.

The spy moved aside to reveal the corpse of an enemy shaman lying on the bloodstained grass.

"Believe me, these guys are painful!"

Hector studied Matthew skeptically before asking, "Aren't you supposed to be in Ilia along with Leila?"

"Things don't always go according to plan."

"So that was the flash of red that I kept seeing!" Ninian cut in.

Matthew pulled his scarlet cloak in front of him to show Hector.

"You have better things to do than popping up in random places, Matthew." Hector said sternly.

The thief shrugged and skipped off towards the same destination as the lords and the Ice Mistress. Hector shook his head wearily and climbed onto his horse while Eliwood and Ninian waited for him.

"So, let's hurry before it starts pouring!" Eliwood directed.

As soon as he finished saying that, the clouds closed in, the first flash of lightning flared through the sky, and wet drops of rain began pounding on the three unluckiest people in Elibe.

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Note: Sorry about the dialogue thing. It's just so hard to stop!


	5. There At Last

**Disclaimer: -sighs- I don't own Fire Emblem...**

By the time the threesome reached the bustling marketplace, the rain had stopped, leaving everything soggy. Eliwood, Hector, and Ninian were all drenched from top to bottom. However, luckily for Ninian, she automatically transformed back into her dry black dollie dress once they reached the bazaar.

Most of the shops had closed due to the heavy amount of rain, leaving almost nowhere to buy supplies for the trip to Castle Caelin, which was about a good few miles down the road. Hector dragged himself over to the side of the pebbled market road and sat down on a small cargo box. Rainwater dripped from the roofs, soaking all the bazaar goods, and some of the remaining customers that were walking along the path.

"Well, so much for arriving here early!" Hector exclaimed mirthlessly.

Eliwood didn't hear him since he was occupied by trying to find a suitable armory and a vendor. The redhead looked around only to find Matthew attempting to pilfer something shiny from a totally unaware man.

"Matthew!" the Pheraen shouted and briskly strolled over to the thief's side.

The man suddenly snapped back to his attention and eyed Matthew with a suspicious expression on his face. Eliwood chuckled nervously while dragging Matthew away from the curious man. When they were a safe distance away, Eliwood, as usual, began to lecture the thief about stealing from innocent people. Matthew nodded his head, not really paying attention, and when the lord finally let him go, he rushed over to Hector and hid behind the Ostian lord.

"What are you doing here?" Hector asked, surprised that the shoplifter actually managed to stay in the marketplace for such a long time.

"Me? I'm just accomplishing what every…person with sneaky fingers does." Matthew replied with a huge grin, which was rather odd in this kind of weather. "And everything was going perfectly well until your friend over here had to come and interfere."

"Eliwood was just doing what he normally does-annoying people with lectures." Hector assured him. "Besides, while you were at it, did you see any shops that were open?"

The thief/spy paused and pondered for a second before replying, "Now that I think about it, there were…until they saw me coming and they closed all their doors…"

Eliwood and Hector burst out laughing, completely unaware that Matthew was attempting another one of his devious tricks. By the time the lords stopped convulsing, Matthew had both of the nobles' weapons behind his back. Yet, still neither of the lords realized what was missing.

"That's why you shouldn't go shoplifting!" Eliwood explained.

"And that's why you shouldn't laugh at me!" Matthew smirked, and pulled out both the Wolf Beil and the rapier.

"Why you little-" Hector started to say.

"Hurry up and take them! The weight of the weapons is killing me!" Matthew groaned, interrupting the Ostian lord.

Hector snatched the weaponry right back and handed the rapier to his friend.

"Next time you won't be so lucky!" he vowed.

The sly thief simpered and began hopping away, looking back at Hector's angry face, without paying any attention to where he was going. Suddenly he crashed into someone and fell onto the stone floor.

"Oh! I'm terribly sorry." The person he bumped into said.

Hazily, the sandy-blonde haired spy got up and rubbed his eyes. He noticed that the girl standing in front of him was the same one that had been traveling with the lords.

"Hey, I know you!" Matthew exclaimed joyfully.

"Um, yes…Matthew…" Ninian replied.

"Ninian!" came Eliwood's voice. "Where were you?"

The Ice Mistress explained that while they were arguing, she had wandered off in search of a shop and an armory. Following Ninian, Lords Eliwood and Hector and even Matthew got to a vendor in no time. They each bought the supplies that they needed and soon were on the road again.

Eliwood hitched himself onto his horse and glanced at Matthew who was standing next to Hector. The thief motioned for them to start riding, and watched as the lords and Ninian rode off. Hector abruptly stopped his chestnut colored horse and glimpsed back at Matthew.

"Are you coming with us?" he asked.

Matthew shook his head, pulled his crimson cloak over his body, and skipped off in the opposite direction.

"Strange guy…" Hector muttered. "He can't survive out there alone, even if he is a spy."

"Come on Hector!" came his friend's voice. "We must tell Lyn everything before something disastrous happens!"

The Ostian lord mounted his horse again and followed Eliwood and Ninian towards the distant castle. In a few hours, the black gates of Manor Caelin parted and the threesome entered the castle grounds. Eliwood, Hector, and Ninian were led through the front doors by a formally dressed butler.

"Are you looking for Lady Lyndis?" the butler asked.

"Yes, we need to speak with her privately." Eliwood replied as politely as he could.

The steward nodded and left the room quietly. Within a few minutes, Lyn entered the chamber with a bright smile on her face.

"Eliwood! Hector! Why are you here so unexpectedly?" she greeted them.

"Lyndis, there are some serious problems going on in Elibe. Have you heard about them?" Eliwood explained, sighing.

"Yes, I have, although it seems that Caelin's citizens don't pay too much attention to that matter." Lyn answered. "What about you, Hector? Has Ostia done anything about it?"

Hector frowned before saying, "Why do you ask me? My brother is the one who is in charge!"

Eliwood looked disapprovingly at his friend, motioned to Lyn, and pulled Hector aside for another one of his lectures.

"Hector, someday you will get your chance as marquess." He stated. "Until then, you'll just have to wait."

Hector rolled his eyes and dragged Eliwood back to the conference where Lyn was waiting patiently.

"As you were saying…"

The discussion dragged on for another three hours or so, until finally Lyn realized that another person besides the lords was in the room. She smiled and walked over to Ninian.

"Oh hello! I'm so sorry that um…I didn't address you earlier." Lyn apologized. "So um, what is your name?"

"I'm Ninian." The Ice Mistress simply stated, hoping that she didn't give away too much, and sat down on one of the soft and comfortable sofas.

"Ninian, well it's a pleasure to meet you. Your name sounds a lot like one of the guardians…"

Ninian tried not to show her nervousness although inside she was quivering with anxiety.

All her apprehension faded away when Eliwood suddenly stood up and exclaimed, "Lyndis, I am so glad that you are okay. I thought that something might have happened to Caelin."

Then the unexpected happened. Eliwood leaned over and gave her an affectionate hug. The second he was finished, Ninian thought she felt a little…enervated. She looked into the large mirror nearby to see if she had gotten paler, and noticed that the sapphire's color had been drained out…by a lot.

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Notes: Sorry it took a long time to get this chapter up.


	6. Just the Beginning

**Disclaimer: No, I don't own Fire Emblem!**

Ninian wearily dragged herself out of the silky bed and fumbled for her clothes. She did not sleep well last night since her mind kept playing back what happened yesterday with Eliwood and Lyn. Remembering the uncomfortable sapphire necklace, she jumped and slipped on her dress quickly before rushing towards the elegant mirror that was in front of her bed. She checked the precious stone and found that the sapphire's color had improved a little, but it was still not at its best shade. Moaning, the guardian flopped back onto the bed and lay perfectly still until she heard someone knocking on the wooden door.

"Ninian? Are you awake yet?" came a familiar voice.

"Yes." She replied while opening the door.

"Did you sleep well last night?" Lyn asked.

"Yeah! Of course." The guardian lied.

The bed was comfortable…and so were the pillows…

If she meant the quality, it was excellent.

During breakfast, Lyn elucidated that they were going on a journey to Ilia to explore the mystery of the Sacred Circle. She said that Florina, a certain Pegasus knight of Caelin, was going to lead the way. Florina concluded that the trip to the barren ice lands would take about a month or so. It would be a harsh trip, traveling across all the rocky terrains and the majestic forests that lay ahead in their way.

"So, when are we leaving?" Ninian inquired.

"Today." Replied the Sacaen princess.

Both the lords and Ninian stared at her incredulously.

"What? You said it was rather urgent…didn't you, Eliwood?"

"Um, yes, yes I did. I guess we should get going then."

Lyn got up from her seat and motioned for Ninian to come with her. They strolled into the castle stables to find a lavender haired girl brushing a white Pegasus. The princess and the guardian heard the girl mumbled a few words to her horse and watched as a faint blush appeared.

"Florina?" Lyn finally spoke up.

The girl named Florina jumped and hugged her horse tightly.

"L-Lady Lyn!"

"Sorry if I frightened you, but we have to go now."

Florina nodded and gripped the reins of her Pegasus tightly, leading it out of the stables.

"Oh, and Florina? Could you tell the others to join us? Ninian will come with you."

"O-Of course."

Then Lyn ambled back to the castle, leaving the two girls to do the job.

"Hi, Florina." Ninian started to say.

"Hi…Ninian…"

The two girls walked in silence until they came to a flat grassland with medium sized trees on the sides. In the middle of the field were two cavaliers who seemed to be practicing their aim with javelins. One of the cavaliers took notice of Florina and shot a huge grin at her. Ninian could see Florina turn red and she too, grew nervous.

"Ah…um, Ninian?" Florina stuttered. "C-Could you do a favor for m-me?

"Sure. What do you need?"

"Um…could you maybe…ask Kent and Sain to go to the parlor where Lady Lyn will be waiting for them? I-I'll come with you…but can you do the talking?"

"Okay…but which one is Kent and which one is Sain?"

"Oh…you will find out soon enough…"

Ninian began to walk towards the two cavaliers with Florina hiding behind her. The same cavalier in green armor eagerly rushed towards them with the other chasing after him. Florina shrieked, jumped, and darted away in the opposite direction. The knight halted his brown horse directly in front of Ninian. Why should he have to go chase a fair maiden when there was already one in front of him?

"Ah! Hello there, gorgeous! What might your name be?" the cavalier asked.

"…Ninian…"

"I'm Sain!" the knight exclaimed excitedly. "How would-"

"Sain! You scared away Florina!" the cavalier dressed in red armor shouted.

Ninian assumed that was Kent since the first one introduced himself as Sain.

The guardian took a deep breath and said, "Lady Lyndis is waiting for you in the parlor."

"Thank you…Miss." Kent replied, and started riding towards the castle.

He stopped abruptly when he realized that Sain wasn't following him. Kent turned around only to find Sain hitting on Ninian unsuccessfully. The red head shook his head-Sain was so irresponsible. Even when duty calls, he wouldn't focus on his task. How could someone like him live like that? At last Kent ended his pondering, and directed his horse towards his insane companion. When will Sain learn that no matter how hard he tries, he'll always end up being rejected? Kent saw Ninian and Sain, but where was Florina? The conscientious cavalier looked up to find the Pegasus knight hovering above him.

"Florina! What are you doing up there?"

"I-I uh…was...hiding from…S-Sain…" Florina stuttered.

Sain! He should have known. Kent jumped off of his horse and dragged Sain away from Ninian.

"H-Hey! Kent! Let me gooo!"

"_Finally…_" Ninian thought.

When Kent and Sain were a good distance away, Florina slowly and hesitantly lowered Huey, her Pegasus, onto the ground. Shakily, she placed one foot on the soil and walked towards Ninian.

"Thank you for your help." Florina said.

"Hm? Oh, it was nothing." The guardian replied. "Is there anyone else that Lady Lyndis wants to see?"

The Pegasus knight pondered for a while before answering, "Wil. Could you maybe do the same thing again? I have a hard time talking to…the opposite gender."

Ninian nodded and the two girls began their search for Wil, the archer. Not too far away was a lone figure shooting arrows at a tree. He seemed to have an endless amount of arrows behind his back. Wil did not notice Ninian approach him and continued his archery practice. Right when he was about to release his arrow, he heard a voice call his name. He leapt at the sudden sound, and the arrow soared in a crooked pattern.

"Um, Wil?"

The archer whirled around and crashed into Ninian. His bow tumbled to the ground, and a handful of arrows dropped as well.

"Oh! Ah, I'm so, so sorry I startled you!" Ninian blurted out, while automatically picking up the items that Wil accidentally unloaded.

"Hm…that's okay." The brown haired archer replied as he got up. "Do I know you?"

"I don't think so. I'm Ninian."

"Ninian…well, nice meeting you!" Wil answered joyfully as he took back his bow and arrows.

"Lady Lyndis wishes to see you."

As soon as the words came out of the guardian's mouth, Wil, Florina, and Ninian headed towards the castle. Ninian had to walk between Florina and Wil since the Pegasus knight would not stand anywhere near a man. Meanwhile, Wil tried to start a conversation, but failed. Florina was too nervous to even pay attention, and Ninian had no idea what he was talking about, for she did not hear anything concerning Lycia while she was still in Ilia. Thankfully, they soon reached the castle and went straight to the parlor where the three lords and Kent and Sain were supposed to be waiting. As they entered the parlor room, Ninian got a glimpse of Kent yanking Sain away from one of the maids that was passing by. That Sain really was a flirt…no wonder Florina dashed away at the sight of him!

"Wil! Thank goodness you are here! Thank you Florina, Ninian for bringing everyone here." Lyn said, smiling.

Florina gave her friend a docile smile and carefully sat down on the sofa that was the farthest away from the guys. Ninian soon joined her and listened attentively to Lyn. Pretty much everyone was paying attention except for Sain who occasionally grinned at the maids who walked past the door. Ninian could clearly see that Kent was extremely annoyed.

"As you all know, Elibe is in trouble. It may be very serious, so we must act fast. Eliwood, Hector, and I have agreed that we are going to be traveling to Ilia and investigate what happened at the Sacred Circle. Therefore, I will need all of you to accompany us in case danger lurks in our path. We are planning to leave once this meeting is over. Any questions?" Lyn explained.

No one said anything. Lyn assumed that they were prepared to depart, so she strolled out of the room and out of the main front doors where the horses were waiting. Following her orders, everyone also exited the room, and out of the castle where a perilous adventure awaits them.

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_Notes: Well, they are off on their adventure..._


	7. Things in Camp

**Disclaimer: I don't own Fire Emblem...**

It had been almost three days since they set off on their long journey. Ninian noticed that a lot of people in their small army seemed to be either annoyed or stressed. Clearly, Kent couldn't control Sain's eccentric behavior, and Florina looked as if she had an even harder time coping with all of the subjects that Wil had to say. Just recently Lady Lyndis had declared that the men and women should share rooms. Unfortunately, Florina had been placed with Wil, and the guardian did not think that the Pegasus knight got any sleep at all. Her eyes were pinkish due to the lack of sleep, and several times Ninian saw her secretly yawn. One day Florina was so exhausted that she suddenly collapsed on the floor when they were walking to dinner. Lyn quickly grew concerned and carried her off to bed immediately. When Florina finally awoke, she found Lyn sitting at the foot of her bed.

"Why aren't you sleeping at night?" Lyn questioned firmly.

"I-I…can't sleep…"

"For three whole days? I don't think so…" Lyn said and frowned. "Look, if this is about Wil…I assure you he won't…do anything."

Florina turned a bright shade of red and whispered, "May I trade roommates?"

Lyn sighed before replying, "Very well then. I'll ask Ninian to move in tonight."

The Sacaen princess saw a faint smile of relief appear on Florina's lips. Then Lyn exited the tent to tell Ninian about the unexpected change. When her friend was out of the room, the Pegasus knight slowly climbed out of bed and snuck into the tent where all the food was stored. She looked around at the shelves that were high above her and finally saw something she liked. However, it was on top of one of the higher shelves and she had difficulty reaching it. She stood on her toes and just when she finally laid a finger on it, someone snatched it away from her. Florina wildly swiveled around and almost fainted again. She wasn't aware that someone has recently entered the tent.

"Hehe a bit too slow huh?" Hector said with a smirk.

Florina back away while blushing again, and was saved when Lyn burst through the long tent flaps with an angry expression on her face.

"I told you to stay away from her!" she scolded.

"I was just getting some food!" Hector retorted.

Florina watched silently and helplessly as Lyn and Hector had another one of their arguments and slunk out of the tent. She was still hungry…but at least she got away from a terrifying situation. The Pegasus knight meandered back into her tent to find Ninian unpacking. Apparently Wil already left the room a few minutes ago and Ninian just moved in.

"Hello Florina." Ninian greeted her as she walked in.

"Hi…"

"I heard you were having some trouble sleeping in the same room with Wil…"

"A-Ah yes…um…well now I guess I should be able to sleep peacefully…"

The guardian smiled and continued to unload her belongings. Not long after Florina arrived, Lyn entered the tent and pulled Florina aside.

The princess looked at her with a motherly expression and asked, "Was Hector bothering you?"

"N-No." Florina simply replied.

"If he annoys you, tell me and he shall have the worst punishment of his life."

Florina shuddered mentally. That didn't sound so pleasant…so she decided to keep it a secret even if Hector did disconcert her. Lyn muttered something and said goodnight to both girls. Ninian had finished unfolding her blankets and tossed her soft pillow onto the bed. Florina blew out the candles and tucked herself under the warm blankets.

There was a long moment of silence before Ninian sighed and said, "I heard you are from Ilia."

"Ah um, yes…from Edessa…"

"Hmm…wow you must have come a long way. Edessa is where the ocean borders the land. Am I correct?"

"Yes…how do you know?"

"I am from Ilia as well." Ninian blurted out before she could stop herself. Then quickly, realizing her mistake, she added, "Except I uh don't really remember it."

"Oh."

Florina tossed around in her bed. She just couldn't get to sleep! Her mind was playing back what had happened in the past. From the time she last saw her sisters to the moment when she joined Caelin's army, when she ran away from Sain, and earlier today when Hector had snagged her jar of peanuts. Hector…just thinking about him made her feel all queasy. He was so…different. And of course, he was frightfully scary-not in appearance, but in personality. The Pegasus knight shook her head and tossed around again. She glanced over at Ninian who was already drifting off to sleep. Maybe tomorrow she would get another chance to talk to her.

Meanwhile, inside Lord Eliwood and Lord Hector's tent a tense conversation was going on. Eliwood had heard from Lyn that Hector "misbehaving" again. Of course, his natural instinct was to discourse people until they got so irritated that they felt the need to scream. Luckily for the Ostian lord, he was already used to his best friend's lectures.

"Hector, " Eliwood started calmly. "Is it true that you are bothering Florina?"

"Ugh. Why must you believe every single word that woman says? I told you, I was just getting something to eat!"

The Pheraen sighed. It was no use trying to sermon to Hector since he always talked back. Exactly how was he supposed to get his friend to listen then? Hector climbed into his bed and lay there stressfully. No one would believe him! Not even his best friend…

In Lyn and Wil's tent, the archer was complaining that he had no one to talk to. He had insisted that all three lords were too busy, Kent was not a talkative type of person, Sain only chattered about beautiful ladies, Ninian had no idea of what he was saying, and Florina was much too shy. Lyn laughed and told him that one day he would find something interesting to converse about. The archer merely sighed and mumbled a few more sentences before all was silent.

It was pitch black in the cavaliers' tent…but someone was speaking softly…

Kent listened as his boon companion went on and on…sleep talking. Judging from what Sain was saying, Kent could distinguish what he was dreaming about. Sain was pretending that he was in a horse race and he won first place. As we all know Sain, each and every elegant girl applauded for him. After the interviews, the green-armored cavalier flirted with all of them. He actually said the cheesy lines out loud, which made Kent worried that if Lady Lyndis walked past their tent, she would think Sain had issues. The knight that was awake shuddered. Should he wake up his companion and tell him to stop this nonsense? No…Sain was Sain and no matter how hard you tried, you just can't change him. Kent stayed awake the entire night…completely unaware that a dark shadow clandestinely crept through the camp.

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_Notes: Um..._


	8. Meeting New People

**Disclaimer: I do not own Fire Emblem...**

A circular aura appeared in the hallways, lighting up the area around it. Standing where the aura once was, was a pale, impassive woman. She had piercing golden eyes and wavy ebony hair that went down to her hips. Limstella stiffly promenaded down the corridors in search of her master. The morph had some important news…

Nergal sat on his large, comfy couch, still thinking of a suitable name for his kingdom. "The Dark Realm" and "The Shadow Realm" were already out of the picture. Nergal stroked his little beard thoughtfully and took a sip of some strange looking liquid that was supposed to make him smarter. Or at least, that's what Sonia had said. The Dark Druid had already drunk five entire barrels of the fluid, but he had not felt any wittier. Was the glass of green goop truly even healthy for him? As soon as he finished the last drop, he heard a loud knocking sound. Nergal slammed the glass onto the table, therefore shattering it into thousands of pieces. It didn't matter to him though since he had a thousand more stashed away in his old, wooden cupboards.

"Yes? Who is it and what do you have that is so important to disturb my critical thinking time?"

"Nergal the Supreme-Master Conqueror of the Sacred Circle, it is Limstella. I have an essential report regarding Eliwood and his elite army."

The druid grinned with satisfaction.

"Ah, it is good to see that you remembered to call me by my full name!"

"Last night I slipped into Lord Eliwood's camp and gathered some valuable details. It occurs to me that the group is now headed for Ilia, or more specifically the Sacred Circle itself. It appears that they already know about us, and they may be helping the remaining guardian seek revenge."

Nergal thought about it for a second before answering, "Do they even know that Ninian is a guardian?"

"I…don't think they do."

"Then what makes you think that they are aiding the guardian on her revenge? GET OUT OF HERE!"

Limstella was just going to warp out of the room when Nergal stopped her by saying, "Oh, and would you get me a glass of The Green Stuff?"

When the morph did not move, the druid impatiently and heatedly added a 'Please' followed by, "AND CLEAN THIS MESS UP!"

Limstella took out her Elfire tome, whispered a few magical words, and burned all the pieces of glass into ashes. She then warped out of the room, and within five seconds she returned with a full glass of the bright green goop.

The morph handed the drink over to her master who, instead of saying 'Thank you', replied, "Ah, how refreshing!"

Just after he said that, Nergal choked and almost spit the goop out. Limstella ambled out of the room to join the other morphs in their lonely lives, leaving her master to ponder some more about his kingdom's new name.

Ninian awoke to a lot of commotion in the camp. She curiously climbed out of her bed and peeked through the tent flaps. Apparently early in the morning two new recruits had joined the army. One of them was a girl with long pink hair tied up in two ponytails, and she was holding a healing staff. Standing uncomfortably next to her was a boy with wavy purple hair and a flowing cloak. In his hands was a Fire tome. Ninian decided to go outside and meet them, however Florina, being shy and all, didn't. Ninian led the Pegasus knight outside and waited for the pink-haired girl to walk past her. Soon enough, the girl strolled in front of her with her head held high like she was some queen or something.

"Hey, I'm Serra!" the girl introduced herself.

She dragged the escaping boy over and presented him as Erk. Judging from their attires, Ninian assumed that Erk was a mage and the girl, a cleric. Serra moved down the line of people until she came to the last person-Hector.

"Why Lord Hector! I have finally found you!"

"Oh no…not you again…" Hector muttered and turned to leave.

Serra quickly stepped in front of him, blocking his path. She had a slightly cross look on her face and stood there firmly. The Ostian sighed deeply, giving in.

"What do you want now?"

"I was just worried about you since you just snuck out of the castle without telling anyone!"

Hector looked extremely surprised.

"Serra," he started. "What did you eat for breakfast?"

Before the cleric could answer, Eliwood suddenly interrupted, "Hector, you didn't notify anyone that you were leaving the manor?"

"No...was I supposed to?" The blue-haired lord answered sarcastically.

"Of course! Oh, I'm sorry for disrupting your conversation with Serra."

"As I was just about to say, I ate some bread and butter. Is something wrong with that?"

Hector laughed.

"It was just that you didn't sound like Serra…you know, normally you are so…stuck up!"

Serra's mouth formed a small 'O'. She huffed a little and stomped her feet angrily.

"You-will-regret-saying-that!" she said between gritted teeth.

Then she furiously lugged away an innocent Erk to speak with someone who was much nicer. Perhaps Sain would praise her beauty…

By the end of the day, most of the members of the army found Serra annoying and Erk…well…he wasn't very sociable. That night when Ninian was passing by Erk and Serra's tent, she found Erk sitting on his bed, reading a Fimbulvetr book. That was about ice…and she could only use ice powers. Maybe if Erk was willing to lend her his Fimbulvetr tome, she could practice and perfect her powers! The guardian cautiously stepped into the tent to speak with him. The mage glanced up from his reading and looked nervously at Ninian.

"Um, hi…Erk. You may have remembered me from earlier…" Ninian began to say. "I see you are reading a Fimbulvetr tome…may I borrow it when you are done?"

Erk silently tossed the book to her.

"Keep it. I have another one." He later answered and pulled another tome out from under his bed.

"Wow…um…thanks. Maybe we could practice sometime hm?"

"Yeah…sure…"

At that very minute, Serra came back from her little trip to the food tent. She suspiciously looked back and forth from Ninian to Erk while the guardian stood there anxiously. Finally, Serra took a few steps to get to her bed, flopped down, and began to undo her ponytails. Lengthy, silky hair tumbled down her shoulders and brushed the surface of her bed. With her head facing the wall, the cleric grabbed a nearby brush and started to comb the pink locks. Ninian could see that Erk had a hard time trying not to stare at Serra. The guardian smirked and exited the tent quietly. As soon as she left, Serra threw down her brush and smiled. Now she could talk Erk to death…

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_Notes: I guess you could count Ninian in as some kind of mage/sage...since she does use magic..._


	9. The Deal

**Disclaimer: I don't own Fire Emblem...**

Florina nervously paced in and out of her tent. She could not decide whether to speak with Serra about a certain…problem…of hers or just keep quiet about it. The Pegasus knight cautiously looked at her surroundings. If Lyn saw her with that nervous expression, she would most definitely question her about it. Not knowing how she made up her mind, Florina briskly strolled over to the pink-haired cleric's tent, hoping that Serra was in there. The shy girl peeked in to see that it was almost as if everything was waiting for her arrival. Serra was lying on the bed, trying to read one of Erk's magic tomes, and the young mage was nowhere to be seen. Florina let out a small sigh of relief, as she did not want Erk to overhear their conversation. She took a few tiny steps and stood next to Serra's bed. The startled cleric jerked up from her position and stared at Florina with wide eyes.

"Florina! Don't sneak up on me like that!" Serra explained in a loud voice.

"I-I'm sorry…" the lavender-haired girl timidly responded.

Serra slowly sat back down and lay Erk's book face down. She looked up at Florina with a curious look on her somewhat snobby face.

"What do you need?" the cleric asked when she finally calmed down.

"I-I was wondering if…you could help me…with a minor problem of mine…"

"And that would be…?"

"I have…a great fear of…men." Florina stuttered on the last word.

Serra laughed and said, "You call that a 'minor' problem! I could never imagine life if I could not talk to my Erky!"

"Ah…your…'Erky'?"

"Forget it. And exactly what do you want to me do about it? Give you lessons?"

"I suppose…if you have time, of course."

Serra agreed to help her only if she would spread news to five people about Serra's beauty.

"First of all, if you want to be able to talk to everyone confidently, just think of them as lowly bugs."

"…Bugs?"

"That's right! Imagine that you are better than all of them! They are worthless creatures compared to you."

"_I…can't do that! I respect my friends though…_"

"O-Okay…."

"Next, you must stand straight and tall! Hold your head high at all times! Don't be afraid to speak your mind! Now go practice those actions and come back when you think you are perfected."

"Um…thank you Serra."

"No problem. Remember your part in the deal though!"

Florina exited the tent and wondered how she would be able to tell five people about Serra and her stunning appearance. There were only two other girls in the camp, not including Serra and herself. That would mean…she would have to talk to the opposite gender! Florina shuddered at the thought of it and uneasily made her way back to her own tent. Well, a deal was a deal! She found Ninian sitting on her bed, reading the tome that Erk had given her. Why was everyone studying magic these days? The Pegasus knight had a hunch that Erk was probably leaning against a tree, interpreting an Anima magic book.

She walked over to Ninian and mumbled, "Did you know that Serra is pretty?"

At least now it was one down, four to go.

The guardian glanced up from her reading and said, "Hm? I'm sorry I couldn't quite hear you."

"Ah, um, did you know that Serra has interesting pink hair?"

Ninian gave her a tiny smile and replied, "Well, if you admire Serra's hair so much, maybe you two could do the same hairstyle."

Florina sulked onto her bed and sat there for a few seconds before Ninian announced, "It's time to go to the campfire for dinner."

When Florina walked out of the tent, she found a shocking sight. There, a few meters away from her was Erk, leaning against a lofty tree, reading an Anima tome. Who would have known that she was physic?

During dinnertime, Florina nervously made her way over to Lyn and muttered, "Serra has a pretty dress……."

Her Sacaen friend stared at her with an unreadable expression and then turned to continue eating her food. When Florina was far enough, she sighed softly and started towards Eliwood. The red head was busy talking to Hector, which gave the shy Pegasus knight an idea. Maybe if she just told Eliwood about Serra, Hector would hear and he could count as the fifth person! For a second Florina felt a little more confident, but then she thought that she wasn't really telling Hector anything-only Eliwood. With her head drooped and her hands entwined, she approached the lords and waited until they finally noticed her. Hector shot her a bright smile which only caused her to lose most of her confidence. She tried to imagine that only Eliwood was there…

"L-Lord Eliwood?"

"Yes Florina?"

"D-Do you think th-that…Serra is…pretty?"

She saw the Pheraen turned slightly pink as he replied, "Well, I guess she's okay…"

Hector however, overheard their conversation and interpolated, "That's saying a lot about some loudmouth cleric!"

Eliwood frowned and asked, "Hector, why do you seem to hate Serra so much? It's not like she ever did anything to you…"

"Ha! She irritated me almost every second in Ostia! True, I don't like or dislike her."

Florina snuck away unnoticed and around the tents. With her attention focused on the people crowded around the campfire, she was unaware that someone was just about to crash into her from behind.

"Eep!"

"Ah! Why is everyone always running into me!"

"So s-sorry!"

The person she ran into, Wil, grinned.

"Well, if it isn't Florina! It's been quite a while since we talked hm?"

"Ah…y-yes…"

Wil chattered on and on as usual while Florina was frantically trying to escape. She darted to the back of a blue tent and tried to hide herself from the talkative archer. She failed to avoid him for somehow Wil got to the other side before she even turned the corner.

"Hey! Where are you going? I wasn't even finished talking yet!"

Florina ignored him and walked as briskly as she could to the campfire where everyone was sitting. At least she felt safer here!

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_Notes: Okay, I know this chapter was so short and I know it wasn't very good. That's because I am so out of ideas...so if you have any, please tell me and I may include them in the next chapter. Oh yeah, and sorry I updated really late...school started and well, both the homework and the lack of ideas are delaying it._

* * *


	10. First Battle

**Disclaimer: I don't own Fire Emblem...**

When Ninian awoke, she heard loud voices outside the tent. One of the voices sounded like Lyn's and she was saying something about "Fang members spying on us". Ninian tiptoed just outside her tent to clearly hear what the princess was saying. Apparently Sain and Kent, who were on guard duty last night, reported that they saw speedy figures wrapped in blue cloth circling the campsite. Or so that's what Sain said. Kent had doubted that there really were Black Fang members and just insisted that it was Sain's wild imagination. Lyndis decided to be on the safe side and told Lords Eliwood and Hector to set up some sort of defense for the temporary camp.

"…Either that or we should go to battle today." Lyn finished up.

Eliwood, who hated bloodshed the most, looked at Lyn uneasily. Hector could see that he was thinking of the best possible solution without having to go to war.

"Lyndis, couldn't we just…move on and hope that the Black Fang won't find us?"

Before the Sacaen princess could reply, Hector interjected, "Come on Eliwood! Can't we just kill them all and get over with it? Then we don't have to worry about people stalking us."

Eliwood and Lyn sighed. It wasn't going to be easy trying to persuade Hector to think their way. However, Hector did have a good point-No one wants to be spied on. All the confusion ended when Florina walked out of the tent…with a new hairstyle. The Pegasus Knight looked around uneasily as she meekly walked over to Lyn. Florina could see that Lyn was trying hard to hold in her laughter while Eliwood just looked at her with an amused expression. Hector however, burst out laughing. Florina turned a light shade of pink and tried to hide herself from the small crowd of people. Finally Ninian spoke up.

"Looks like you decided to follow my advice hm?" the guardian said with a tiny smile.

"Ahhh, y-yes…"

Right after she said that, Erk and Serra walked out of their tent that was nearby. The tired mage gave a rather large yawn before glancing in their direction. When he did, he froze dead in his tracks and looked as if he was going to faint. The pink haired cleric, however, seemed overjoyed that someone admired her fashion sense.

"OH MY GOSH! LOOK ERKY!" she screamed.

Serra energetically ran over to Florina who was still trying to make herself as small as possible.

"What a way to start out the day…" Hector muttered and turned to leave.

"Your hair is just so BEAUUUUUTIFUL today!" Serra exclaimed happily. "Of course, not as pretty as mine but I'll say it comes in second."

As Serra went on and on about hairstyles and the latest fashions in Ostia, Erk took this wonderful opportunity to escape the clutches of the evil Serra. Or at least to him she was evil. Ninian glanced back and forth from Serra and Erk and decided to talk to Erk about the training that they had planned two days ago. She quickly caught up with the young mage that was sneaking away.

"Hey Erk!" she said as cheerily as possible.

Erk looked glumly at Ninian before mumbling a swift "Good morning".

"So do you think maybe we can practice the Fimbulvetr spell today?"

Erk sighed wearily. He glanced at the Thunder tome he was carrying and tucked it away.

"You know, I haven't really mastered that yet." The mage admitted. "I'm only a student right now unlike my teacher who is a great sage."

"Actually, I um, well I'm not very good at it either. That's why I think we should help each other so we can improve, you know?"

Ninian was thankful that she thought of the most reasonable excuse. She couldn't just say that she forgot how to use magic. He would think that was suspiciously strange. After all, you can't just forget how to use magic… Besides, since he is a magic user, there was a good chance that he would know something about the guardians of Ilia.

Finally the mage gave in. Erk and Ninian walked off into a wide clearing and took out their spell books. Ninian flipped through the delicate pages, trying to read the chants. Some of them looked really familiar while others were so complicated that she didn't think she could interpret it. At last Erk started chanting and Ninian saw a tiny spark between his hands. Everything was going well until he stopped all of a sudden. The flicker of magic disappeared and Erk looked sadly at the ground.

"I told you this spell is way beyond my ability…" he mumbled with a slight bit of embarrassment.

Ninian smiled kindly and tried her best to encourage the mage.

"I bet I can't even do what you did!" she exclaimed.

Ninian raised her arms after memorizing the words and waited until she felt that the energy was rushing up to her. Trying to repeat the words that came out of Ninian's mouth, Erk tried to do the spell with her. However, he stopped suddenly when he saw a bright flash between Ninian's hands. The mage watched in awe as the flash gradually grew larger and turned into what looked like a giant ice wall. The wall began to shape shift and then sunk into the ground. After several seconds of silence, there was an abrupt eruption and the ice reappeared a few meters away from Ninian. There was an ear-piercing crashing sound as the ice burst up from the grass and formed a sharp and deadly trap. If someone were standing in that spot, they would surely die. When the ice melted, Ninian opened her eyes and walked over to Erk.

"Well! That was unexpected!"

Erk did not reply since he was still thinking about what happened. Once he was out of his trance, the mage blinked and stared at the Fimbulvetr tome.

Before the mage could say anything, Ninian said, "You may want to be careful because I haven't really mastered that spell yet. I can't control where the ice crystals pop up."

"Teach me…" Erk whispered.

"That's what the training is for right?" Ninian replied.

Erk attempted to try again but before he got to, he heard a voice yell, "Get ready for battle!"

The two magic users snatched the tomes and rushed back to camp. Lady Lyndis was shouting orders to everyone, telling them that they were going to go to war.

"Hurry! We have spotted Black Fang members on the road ahead!" she explained urgently.

Erk and Ninian hurried into their tents to grab a tome that they knew how to use and ran to catch up with the rest of the group. Surprisingly no one looked terrified that there was going to be a ton of killing.

"_Maybe they are well trained mercenaries…_" Ninian thought.

"Okay, everyone, be alert! We have heard rumors that they are sneaky and like to hide behind thick trees. This is going to be a tough first battle."

The army cautiously moved forward with the three lords in the front. Out of nowhere, an arrow whizzed past Lyn's head and landed at Wil's feet. Lyn rapidly drew her sword as the rest of the group raised their weapons. Out of the bushes came another arrow, but this time the archer was spotted. Wil aimed his bow towards the vegetation where a speck of red was. He let the arrow fly and in a second there was an unpleasant sound. Eliwood went to investigate the dead archer when another soldier appeared out of nowhere. The Pheraen dodged the inexperienced soldier's attack and stabbed the soldier's chest with his rapier. He energetically looked around and found five other Black Fang members surrounding him. Thankfully Hector came to the rescue and crushed two of them to pieces with his shiny axe.

"Watch out! They are closing in!" Lyn shouted.

Eliwood turned around to see Serra get burned by an enemy mage.

"Why isn't anyone protecting Serra?" Eliwood demanded.

The red head was running over to protect the cleric when he felt a sharp pain on his right side. He winced at the sting and thrust his rapier into the enemy that jabbed him with a lance. Fortunately for him, Serra came running towards him with a heal staff.. However, the pink haired cleric screamed when a fighter approached her, his axe gleaming in the sunlight. Eliwood, who was much too wounded to save her watched as the enemy was about to bring down his axe on the cleric. Still screaming, Serra made a mad dash around the battlefield until a bolt of lightning struck the fighter. Serra stopped running and turned around to see Erk a few feet away from her, holding a thunder tome. The once frightened cleric squealed in delight to see that her "Erky" had saved her. Apparently she had forgotten about the injured Eliwood. Erk ran off to attack a couple of mercenaries, leaving Serra alone on the battlefield again. Serra stood there absently before she remembered that Pherae's lord was still lying in the middle of nowhere. She gasped and quickly scanned for him. When her purple eyes landed on him, she saw that someone else was attempting to heal him.

Ninian handed the Pheraen an elixir and stood there until Eliwood was fully healed. He got up and thanked her before joining Hector. Ninian wandered around casting magic whenever she felt that an enemy was about to attack her. She only chanted the easier spells in the Fimbulvetr book. As an archer raised his bow at her, Ninian quickly muttered the words and a whirlwind of ice appeared. Later the ice protruded into sharp ice crystals. The archer howled in pain as the ice pierced his skin. She walked around the meadow cautiously, sometimes strolling over the corpse of enemy soldiers. The guardian decided to try the spell that she did when she was training with Erk. Ninian blocked out all the outside sounds and focused on the spell. It was hard to concentrate when she heard someone who sounded like Florina scream. Ninian sped up the chant and hoped for the best. She felt the energy rush up to her fingers just like before. She sensed a powerful icy breeze whip through the air. Then she heard a loud noise that sounded like a thousand pieces of paper being ripped. She slowly opened her crimson eyes and saw that in the middle of a giant puddle of water were five Black Fang members. Erk and Florina were standing nearby, clutching their weapons. Florina had an expression of pure terror. Ninian ambled over to them and asked Florina if she was okay.

"Are you alright? I thought I heard you shriek." Ninian questioned.

"…A-Ah…your…attack scared me…" she said in ragged breaths.

"I'm terribly sorry…"

Erk cleared his throat before saying, "My teacher always told me that you shouldn't launch an unfamiliar spell."

Ninian looked sadly at the blood stained grass.

"I'm…really sorry…I just wanted to help. Florina's first scream made me worried."

Their conversation ended when Sain made a war cry. The three saw him raise his lance in the air before charging straight into the enemy. Ninian even saw Kent slap his forehead before racing after him.

"Don't be so reckless!" Kent yelled. "You only have one life!"

However Sain didn't hear him. The brown haired cavalier thrust his lance at a mercenary, missed, and ended up hitting a fighter's head with the blunt end of the lance. Sain laughed and continued swatting at the enemies like they were flies. Kent watched a few meters away with a sword in his hand just in case someone tried to attack him.

"_Laughing in battle!_" Kent thought. "_Doesn't he realize that his life may be in danger?_"

When Kent was so sure that Sain was going to die, Sain finished off the last Black Fang member. He galloped over to his red haired companion and smiled casually.

"And you were saying…Kent?"

He lost. Again. Kent and Sain, or actually, Sain made a bet that he could easily kill that group of Black Fang members. Kent had highly doubted it but he let his silly comrade try it. After all, he would be willing to help out if Sain was about to fall in combat. But no! That was the third time he had lost in a bet. Kent sighed and led his horse away from Sain. The cavalier with the green armor shrugged and went to talk to Wil. Wil and the rest of the group gathered together after the battle was over. Hector wiped his forehead and dropped his axe while Eliwood sat down on a rock. Lyn dragged her Mani Katti and fixed her long, green ponytail.

"Well, this is how things are going to be from now on." Lyn explained. "Probably a lot of bloodshed…dead people…war…"

"Milady, I think we should hurry back to camp for some rest." Kent suggested.

And that's exactly what they did.

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_Notes: So I finally updated after that massive writer's block! It's a bit longer than the other chapters..._


	11. Chaos, Chaos, and More Chaos

**Disclaimer: How many times do I have to tell you that I don't own Fire Emblem?**

Three days later the group was on the road again. It was harder for them to travel now since the weight of all the supplies were slowing them down. Sometime soon they would have to get some kind of storage. The farther they went down the road, the closer they came to a thick forest. There was no other way around it so Lyn had just decided to march straight into it. They could not afford to take any more chances since they were rather low on food. The dark green leaves of the forest towered over them as the group ventured deeper into the woods. Thick branches blocked their way so often times someone had to take out their weapon and cut their way through it. Eliwood had suggested that they should travel in pairs in case some wild animal was to suddenly appear. Ninian ended up being paired with Florina and the Pegasus knight was very thankful for not having to travel with a guy.

While walking, the whole army was silent. The woods grew murkier and quieter with every footstep so everyone was extremely alert. When they ambled for about an hour, Wil picked up a strange sound coming from behind the bushes. It sounded like someone or something was sobbing. The lords looked at each other, deciding if they should go investigate or not. Finally Sain volunteered to explore the bushes. Wil agreed to back him up in case something was to happen. With a sword in hand, Sain cautiously inched towards the shrubbery and pried the leaves out of the way. Wil followed him with an arrow already drawn. The sound of crying grew louder and louder until the cavalier and the archer could clearly see what it was. It wasn't a baby tiger or a mocking bird-it was a short, chubby man sitting on the side of the dirt path he carved. The man had blue hair like Hector, except it was tied in a short ponytail. He had a mustache and was weeping into a white handkerchief.

Sain and Wil lowered their weapons as they approached the man. The archer motioned to Lyn and the rest of the army to follow. The modest man looked up with frightened, weary eyes and scooted away from the brown haired cavalier.

"W-What do you want from me?" he asked with a quivering voice.

Sain merely stared at him and waited for Lyn to come. When the Sacaen princess did arrive, she opened her mouth to say something but nothing came out. Eliwood walked up and smiled kindly at the terrified person.

"Do you need any help?" the Pheraen inquired, looking at the messy bundle of what looked like the covering of a wagon.

"N-Need help? Of course I do! Look at what happened! Some stupid idiots robbed me on my way to town!" the petite man nearly screamed. "Now I've lost my way!"

"I'm very sorry to hear that." Eliwood replied and started to set the wrecked wagon upright.

There was a short moment of silence before the man's brown eyes lit up with an idea.

"Hey kind sir, it seems that you are traveling. May I accompany you in your journeys?"

Eliwood glanced at Hector who glanced at Lyn who slowly looked at the group of people standing behind her. The three lords did some whispering before Eliwood replied, "Of course. We do need someone to carry all our supplies."

"Excellent! My name is Merlinus! And you are…?"

"Milady!" Kent suddenly shouted.

Lyn whirled around to find the red head's sword cutting a snake in half.

"My apologies for interrupting." Kent panted, bowing. "It was just that the snake was about to bite you."

"My goodness! Don't tell me you are Lady Lyndis of Caelin!" Merlinus exclaimed. "Then you must be Lord Eliwood of Pherae and Lord Hector of Ostia! I am most blessed to be traveling with you!"

Eliwood looked at Hector with a slight bit of embarrassment. This man was going to be even chattier than Serra…

Once Merlinus' wagon was fixed and cleaned up, the group hit the road again. There were no more interruptions until they reached a bare piece of land that was covered in dead leaves. It was a very strange sight to behold. Sensing no signs of danger, Lyn boldly marched across it. When she got to the middle, there was a loud crashing down and she disappeared. Now in the center of the vacant area was a large hole with leaves dangling all around it. Hector suggested that someone lightweight should go investigate what happened to Lyn. The lords agreed to send Ninian over to the gap. The Ice Mistress nervously peered down the opening and saw a fearsome sight. Through the hole was another piece of land that had a group of black leopards with beady goldenrod eyes. Ninian thought they somehow resembled morphs…

"Lord Eliwood! Lord Hector! Lady Lyndis is in terrible danger! There is a whole family of leopards down there!" Ninian hurriedly explained. "We have to help her!"

Hector immediately grabbed his axe and charged towards the pit, but was stopped by Erk.

"Wait! If you go down there, you may not be able to get back up!" the mage pointed out. "It is a long way down."

The Ostian halted in his tracks and paused to think. There was only one way to attack the leopards without going down there. Hector instantly called for Kent, Sain, Florina, and Wil. He instructed them to take out their javelins or their arrows. Hector himself pulled out a hand axe. They gathered around the opening and began to launch their weapons. The hole had a small diameter so it was hard to see what was going on down there. There were no signs of Lyn and that really worried Kent and Sain. No matter how many leopards they struck, it seemed like there was an endless flow of predators.

Still seeing no flashes of green, Kent grew worried and ignoring Erk's advice to Hector, he leaped into the pit with the javelin. Seeing his boon companion so brave, Sain decided that Kent shouldn't get all the glory so he also jumped into the gap with Erk screaming behind him. Hector, who was trying to stop Sain from hopping in, got pulled in. That made Eliwood extremely nervous and the Pheraen knew that Hector had saved his life many times so he must somehow repay him. With his eyes closed, Eliwood dove into the hole to rescue his friend. Seeing his lord committing what was almost suicide, Wil bravery leaped in as well. Erk was pacing around, telling the rest of the people not to go in when he accidentally slipped on the leaves and tumbled down. Serra's eyes grew large when her Erky fell, and without thinking, she hurled herself inside. Florina saw the person who taught her how to be more confident step inside the deadly trap so she thought that she should also go in. Ninian noticed her friend pounce in and quickly went along.

Soon there was no one left outside the pit besides Merlinus who was guarding the wagon full of supplies. He was not only a petite man but he was also on the timid side. He knew better than to jump into a lethal lair that was full of carnivores. Merlinus waited patiently for the survivors to come out. The transporter listened to the gruesome battle but dared not to take a peek for fear that he might tumble in like Erk.

When the clinking of weapons finally died down, he heard a tired voice shout, "Merlinus! Help us out!"

The blue haired man scurried here and there trying to find something to pull the people up. He found a stretchy vine and a long tree branch. Merlinus tried the branch first and lowered it as far as he could. If he fell, there would be almost no hope to get out. The branch was too short so he tossed in the long, flexible vine. Soon he felt someone grab it. The weight was too much for a frail person like him so he struggled to tie it to the rear of his wagon. Just when he was about to let go, he suddenly remembered that he had no horse pulling the wagon! The transporter led Sain's chestnut colored horse over and tied the horse to the front of the wagon before letting go. Gradually, all the members of the army reappeared on ground level. Not a single one of them was dead!

Everybody seemed very fatigued so Lyn chose to settle down for the night. It was a risky thing to do, but no one looked like they were able to go on. This time, Merlinus was on guard duty.

"_What a way to welcome someone into the army!_" he thought crossly.

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_Notes: Okay so I decided to make Merlinus come pre-promoted since that was the way I pictured it. _


	12. Finally Out

**Disclaimer: I don't own Fire Emblem.**

The next day Erk was sent out into the creepy woods to gather some firewood that was needed to cook breakfast. The mage silently strolled into the wilderness looking for dry, lightweight pieces of wood. That was very difficult to find since this forest was usually damp. He did find a stubborn rattlesnake that he happened to have burned up because it wouldn't get out of his way. With his picky decision of firewood, Erk had the hardest time finding something suitable. He was not the strongest man alive and couldn't carry much. Just as Erk found the right kind of lumber, he heard the powerful flapping of wings. With his purple eyes wide with alertness, Erk dropped the timber and took out his fire tome.

"_Is it a friend or foe?_" he wondered.

He snapped out of his thoughts when a loud voice shouted, "Help! Somebody help! A village is under attack!"

Erk suddenly took off in a mad dash back to the camp. He had to warn the others in case the bandits came to the forest!

As soon as he saw the camp's vague outline, he hollered, "Everybody listen! A village is under attack!"

Merlinus looked at the screaming maniac and rolled his eyes.

"You expect us to believe that after your advice didn't work yesterday?" he scoffed.

The purple haired mage ignored the transporter's cruel remark and continued to warn everyone. Luckily, he was helped when the same voice rang out again. A dark shadow covered the land temporarily and made everyone look at the sky. A large creature that looked very much like a dragon flew across the woods with its rider. The man who was on the creature peered down at the army and halted his pet. He slowly hovered to the ground and stood in front of a surprised Eliwood.

"Sir! Please help us! The nearby village is under attack!" the man explained with a voice of panic.

A young girl with short auburn hair peeked out from behind him. She had large emerald eyes and looked very pale, very frightened, and very familiar.

"Lady Priscilla!" Erk shouted in astonishment and hurried over to the girl. "Are you alright?"

"Ah…yes of course Erk. I'm just a bit…scared of heights." The girl named Priscilla replied with a shaky voice.

"You know her?" the man asked.

"Yes, she was my employer a few months ago." Erk replied.

"Then we must help them." Eliwood interrupted.

"Thank you! By the way, my name is Heath. I just rescued this girl from one of the houses that were being burned down. She's okay now but I'm not too sure about the rest of the folks."

The group skipped breakfast and grabbed their weapons instead. They followed Heath to the edge of the forest and saw a village that was wrapped in the tongues of fire. Houses were torn apart and the fences were all knocked down. Trees were lying on the muddy ground and the residents' furniture were thrown all over the place. Terrified people were running around aimlessly, some of them with their children crying. Standing on a terrace was a brave teenager with a bow and arrow in her hands. She was trying her best to defend the village from the greedy bandits that were roaming the remaining houses.

"Come on! She needs some help!" Hector instructed, pointing at the lone girl.

The army obeyed and charged into the battle. Brigands that were waiting outside turned their heads in alarm and raised their axes. The sword-wielding members rushed at them, killing anyone who looked like an enemy. While everyone was busy attacking, Wil squinted his eyes and glimpsed at the young female archer. She somehow resembled someone that he knew of…perhaps someone that he grew up with. Ignoring all the bloodshed around him, Wil hiked up to the terrace and watched her from behind a rather scrawny tree. The way she fired an arrow also looked very proverbial. The tree's only leaves blocked his view, so he couldn't really tell who she was. Finally, the girl changed directions and Wil got a chance to see her face. It indeed was his childhood friend!

"Rebecca?" Wil said aloud with a hint of confusion in his voice.

The girl turned to face him and lowered her bow.

"Wil? It is you!" She exclaimed. "What are you doing here?"

"What are _you _doing here? I thought you were in Pherae!"

"I came to look for my brother and ended up in this rural village. Someone said I passed out when a group of wolves attacked me." Rebecca explained. "I couldn't handle them by myself…being an inexperienced archer and all."

"You're not inexperienced! You are a great hunter! Believe me! I've seen you use a bow before."

"Enough chat, Wil. We have a village to protect!" Rebecca declared while lifting up her bow again.

Wil grinned and placed an arrow on the bow. He and Rebecca stood on the terrace, firing deadly arrows skillfully at the enemies below. Kent and Sain were teaming up on a berserker with a killer axe and Eliwood and Lyn were taking turns stabbing one of the leaders. Merlinus was waiting nervously inside his tent, unaware that a fighter was sneaking up from behind. The fighter yelled loudly and ripped the back part of his wagon. The transporter screamed and ran around in circles while shouting for help. The fighter suddenly fell to the ground and Merlinus saw the blunt end of a javelin. He cautiously peered through the opening and saw the new recruit, Heath, sitting atop his frightening wyvern with beady eyes. Priscilla was still sitting behind him with a healing staff ready in her right hand. Her face was still pale with the fear of heights and she clung tightly to Heath.

Outside, Erk used the last of his thunder tome and Merlinus saw him running towards the wagon. He quickly dug out another fire tome and rushed back onto the battlefield. Serra was busy healing a slightly injured Hector and Ninian offered an elixir to Florina. The meek Pegasus knight was not at all shy on the battlefield. As soon as she accepted the elixir, she directed her Pegasus towards a group of fighters. Although she had the disadvantage against them, Florina tried her best and performed three criticals. Then she headed straight for a pit of archers. Each person turned to look at her. Anyone who rode winged units should know that it is perilous to ride into a group of archers. Hector turned around in alert and nearly dropped his axe. He went straight towards the archers but stopped when he saw that Florina had everything under control. With a powerful swing of her lance, she defeated two archers at once and knocked over a third one. She raised her slim lance and guided it through the archer's body, oozing out blood everywhere. Another arrow whizzed past her left arm which warned her. Florina quickly switched to javelins and carefully aimed at the mischievous archer that dared to shoot her. Within seconds the enemy was down.

After the battle was over, the tired group clustered by the terrace. Priscilla leaped off of Heath's wyvern and leaned against the same tree Wil was hiding behind earlier.

Erk approached her and asked, "What's wrong Lady Priscilla?"

The auburn haired troubadour sighed sadly and whispered, "My horse. She's gone. I heard that the horse's mother was a present from my brother…the one that I hardly remember."

The group stood in silence until they heard a soft "neigh" coming from the broken village gates. A chestnut colored horse slowly trotted towards Priscilla. The horse was slightly injured and her leg had a deep cut in it. Priscilla immediately healed her precious horse's wound and hugged the animal.

"I'm so glad you're okay." The troubadour said gently.

The whole group smiled at the reunion and swiftly left the abandoned village.

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_Notes: Well two people joined this chapter..._

_Merlinus is so mean to Erk..._


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